


Talons and Half-Empty Tables (Tear Us Apart)

by SiederTreeStudios



Series: Minecraft Youtubers because I’m sad [3]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Bad Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Child Neglect, Found Family, Gen, Hybrid Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), I’m a sucker for found family, Phil isn’t a good dad, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, They/Them Pronouns for Eret (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Tommy’s name is Theseus but it also isn’t, Wilbur Soot Needs a Hug, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, Winged Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), dream is mean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:15:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28677273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SiederTreeStudios/pseuds/SiederTreeStudios
Summary: [Formerly known as, “Tell Them I’ll Be Home Soon (Tell Me You Care.)”When Wilbur turns eighteen, somehow everything goes to shit.Hey what do you say when your dead beat dad and brother show up and some strange masked person is hunting you and the brother you practically raised down to get back at them?(If any of the creators are uncomfortable with this, it’ll be taken down out of respect.)
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Dream team and SBI, Jschlatt & Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Niki | Nihachu & Ranboo, No Romantic Relationship(s), Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Ranboo & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & Technoblade, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Series: Minecraft Youtubers because I’m sad [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2019911
Comments: 314
Kudos: 909





	1. Uhhh preface to the story and all that

Hello, hello yes I’m aware I already have a multi-chapter story for Dream SMP that I could be working on but this isn’t Dream SMP but has its characters so yeah fight me.

So I’m just gonna give you some stuff to preface the story (as well as cool tidbits):

-Tommy’s name was Theseus and Wilbur’s name was William but they changed it when Phil and Techno left (I put it in the story but it’s just a cool detail to me)

-Eret uses they them

-SBI family dynamic is canon (duh.)

-Dream Team are kinda mercenaries? I guess?

-Tubbo and the Captain are father and son

-Dream SMP canon isn’t here, but everyone from the Dream SMP is in story at some point or another

-I may not finish this. Be warned, I procrastinate heavily on this stuff.

-Uhh there might be violence? Maybe? Haven’t thought that far ahead as I’m writing this.

-Wilbur’s weapon of choice is a dagger. This is ingrained in my head forever.

-Schlatt is a year older than Wilbur, he’s 19. Niki is 17 (two-three months younger than Wilbur), Eret is 18 (about five months older)

-Techno is 22 and Phil is uhhh old I guess.

-I’m primarily making this stuff up as I go. I have a very, _very,_ loose plan as to what’s happening. So things in previous chapters can and will be changed, so I suggest rereading occasionally to see what you missed.

-Please leave comments!! I always read and reply to them. I especially love long comments, so don’t feel bad about word dumping or anything!

-This is the longest multi-chapter fic I have written so far. I’m honestly surprised I’ve gotten this far, but really, _truly,_ thank you so much for all the support, I really appreciate it.

-Niki and Ranboo are siblings because yes.

Hope you enjoy, I’ll add more to this and the tags as I go


	2. World Building Stuff (Mainly For My Own Reference. Contains Spoilers)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is mostly for my own reference, but I figured you all would like to see it. It’s a lot of info dumping and ideas for the conflict and plot of this story
> 
> (Will contain spoilers and hints for future chapters)
> 
> (These are all subject to change)

Ok. Time to word dump about ideas for the fic because honestly? I have no one to talk to about it, and I need a reference I can look back on.

WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS, POSSIBLE OR OTHERWISE!!

No for real. There’s spoilers.

I warned you.

Mortals: Infinite respawns in the stretch of their lifespan

Demigods: hard to kill, extra abilities, a bunch of strength, no lifespan limit, but limited respawns (10 max limit)

Gods: Immortal unless met with a stronger willed god, need worship to support their strength but not necessarily their life force

The Oblivion: a parasitic-like force that takes over worlds (basically, it symbolizes when you (a Minecraft player) forget a world exists, and slowly it fades into the back of your mind) It will kill anything and everything in its path, Gods, Demigods, and mortals alike.

The respawn rules: 

-Respawns depend on how damaged the body is (A stab wound will heal in a shorter amount of time than an explosion wound for example)

-Respawns don’t fix mental scars or pre-existing stuff (don’t know if this will have much effect story-wise)

-Respawning hurts like a bitch. It’s traumatizing and especially painful the first time you go through it (average first respawn is around 20-25 in this world)

-After a death, a person disappears and reappears in their bed. Their body exists in a limbo state, and they appear dead, however their body is putting itself back together. The time they are in this limbo state is not counted towards their total lifespan. The moment they start breathing again (they don’t breath in their limbo state, and appear dead,) is when they are alive again, and their lifespan resumes.

-There is a “hardcore” illness. It effects their respawns to where they only have one, regardless of their total lifespan. It can effect mortals as well as gods and demigods.

-Clerics (title subject to change,) can effect respawns. They can speed up or slow them down. They can brew lingering potions and have their own sort of powers, they can be mortal, demigod, or god. [Note: Clerics are not made, they’re born. The powers they have are up for discovery, and they are drawn to people respawning]

Dragon rules:

-Dragons protect worlds from the oblivion 

-When Dragons are killed, the corresponding world is at risk for the Oblivion 

-Dragons are responsible for mobs spawning. That’s the trade off to their protection

-Dragon eggs can hatch baby dragons, which can be tamed to lessen their effects on the world

  * Gods:



Twitch Prime

(Others will come, but this is all I have for now)

  * Demigods:



Dream (2 respawns left)

George (3 respawns left)

Sapnap (2 respawns left)

Antfrost (5 respawns left)

Technoblade (Cleric, knows he’s a cleric) (10 respawns left)

Philza (Hardcore illness)(Respawned twice before illness hit him)

  * Mortals:



Wilbur (hasn’t respawned)

Tommy (Cleric, doesn’t know)(hasn’t respawned)

Tubbo (hasn’t respawned)

Schlatt (has respawned)

Niki (hasn’t respawned)

Eret (has respawned)

Ranboo (hasn’t respawned)

  * ???:



The Oblivion

Ideas I’m toying with:

-You are only able to switch worlds only after your first respawn. 

-If the Oblivion hits your world, the mode is switched to hardcore. If you leave the world pretty early on in the Oblivion’s effects, you can avoid it. (This also means that if the above idea is canon, the ones who haven’t respawned are doomed to die to the Oblivion. Sucks to suck ig)

-Old MCYT’s as Gods (Any old Stamylonghead and DanTDM fans in the comments?)

-Dragon eggs give special powers?

-SBI takes care of Dragon hatchling?

-Dream Team manhunts canon?

Thats it for now!! I honestly have no idea if I can write this all, but I’m open to suggestions and critique!!


	3. Birthday Surprises (Sometimes, They Go Well...)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur’s 18th birthday is here. And he’s going to make it as good as it can be with the family he built without his father or older brother to turn to.
> 
> One can only hope that everything will go well....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter? From SiederTree? On the same day? Never.

Wilbur is 18 years old, but he had been an adult for a while.

Call him bitter, tell him he holds grudges, whatever, but with his limited life experience, he was well aware that he had a sad, broken family. He had raised his little brother all on his own, with barely any guidance as his _father_ and the _favorite son_ went on adventures, and eventually never came back, leaving him to the grief of realizing he wasn’t worth it to them, to add on to the nice pile of grief of his mother passing when he was at the ripe age of seven.

How many years had it been since Technoblade and Philza Minecraft fucked off entirely? Six, seven? Left him alone at age eleven with barely enough knowledge to get by, with his eight year old brother in tow. He learned how to live and taught what he knew to his brother Tommy, who was wide eyed and kind, despite being left by the people who were supposed to put him above all else, just as Wilbur was. Tommy took it in stride, but he sometimes found the boy staring at Phil’s old study, and Techno’s old room, causing his heart to ache. Tommy didn’t deserve that heart ache, that pain.

Techno had been the one to name Tommy ( _of course he was_.) He named his baby brother Theseus, of all things. Wilbur frankly didn’t care for that name, or it’s connotations, so Theseus became Tommy. It was almost a disowning of sorts, a “fuck you” to the ones who abandoned them. So, as a similar bitter disowning, William became Wilbur.

And now, after years of learning how to tend to the house they had been abandoned in, the farm and the animals, how to barter well with piglins and trade smartly with Villagers, Wilbur found himself watching the sun rise on his birthday.

He brushed away the hurt of his father and brother being gone for another year. He had people in his corner, including Tommy, now fifteen and insistent that he was, in fact, a man now, and a big one at that. Wilbur smiled at the thought of today. Despite his dead-beat dad and his golden child of a brother being gone, he was going to make today great, for him, Wilbur thought as the sun cast honey yellow rays of light through the windows and trees that surrounded the home.

Tommy woke up not long after that, quick to congratulate Wilbur on becoming “an even bigger man,” which, despite him feigning annoyance, he was touched by. Tommy shows his affection in his own special way he supposes, and Wilbur is ultimately soft.

The morning was spent with his brother, doing whatever came to mind. He tuned his guitar and wrote a few more lyrics for his next song, he and Tommy went out to go say hi to Henry and Friend, the cow grazing in his pen while the blue sheep was pet by Wilbur, a morning ritual. It was nice, to just have things to do, _little things_ that made the days passing feel worthwhile.

“Are you going to see Niki and Schlatt today?” Tommy asked, bouncing on his heels as he and Wilbur walked in the forest after eating lunch,heading towards their town. Their house was tucked into the forest, nice and secluded, but was a short walk away from town, something Wilbur appreciated. He was introverted by nature, so having a little get away for his home was nice, made the constant buzz that came with being around a lot of people fade away.

“Yep. Kinda just wanna have a day, you know? And spending time with them and you is my kind of day.” Wilbur replied, lazily walking the bridge with an eased smile on his face. He wasn’t big on huge celebrations, he just wanted to hang out really. “You and that Tubbo kid you’re attached to the hip with can hang out too, if you want. We’re just gonna vibe.”

“I’m not attached at the hip!”

“He’s the only friend you hang out with. He’s the only one you’re really close to other than me. You constantly talk about him yet you call him clingy. Need I go on?” Wilbur quipped, his smile turning mischievous as he watched his younger brother sputter before making a frustrated noise.

“But yeah, we can get the gang together. Eret said he’s coming as well, we were thinking about having a little bonfire or something, and Niki is making sure Schlatt doesn’t bring alcohol. Niki is also bringing her younger brother Ranboo, so I figured you might find someone else to hang out with and talk to.” Wilbur said, adjusting the strap of his guitar case as the town come into view, descending the stone stairs leading into it.

“What the fuck. I can get my own friends, you know that right?” Tommy said begrudgingly.

“Don’t use that word. And you don’t have to be friends with him, but it’s a suggestion. He’s around your age.”

“Younger or older? He better be younger, I’m sick of being the youngest.” Tommy grumbled, kicking a rock off of the path.

“Not sure. Guess you gotta ask him.” Wilbur said, just as they reached the fountain in town square. He sat down on the bench nearby, saying, “This is the meetup point. Go ahead and find Tubbo, but don’t start any fights, ok?”

“Yeah yeah big man, I got it.” Tommy said, already racing off to the bakery, where “The Captain,” Tubbo’s dad worked. Tubbo was often also seen working and messing around in there when he wasn’t with Tommy, ready to emotionally manipulate customers to buy more, aka give his famous puppy dog eyes, which could break the strongest of wills. Wilbur shuddered at a particular memory of buying all the pastries in the shop with the combined efforts of Tommy’s pestering and Tubbo’s sad looks. That was a sad day for his poor wallet.

Eret came first, greeting Wilbur with a smile as they sat down next to him. “The others aren’t here yet?” They said, giving a quizzical look.

“Nope. I think Niki said something about having to check her garden before hand. As for Schlatt, who knows, he could be anywhere.” Wilbur said, checking his communicator. No messages from the others, but that was ok. It hadn’t been to long until Tommy came back with Tubbo, the boys rushing out with shit-eating grins on their faces. Wilbur couldn’t help but laugh at their antics, especially when Tommy accidentally ran into Tubbo, sending them both toppling to the floor. He helped Tommy up just as Niki came with Ranboo, the enderman hybrid nervously fidgeting as Niki said hello, joined not long after by Schlatt, who came at least a bit sober. Small victories, Wilbur supposed.

Soon enough, they all headed for the forest, laughter filling the air. He watched Ranboo slowly come out of his shell as Tommy and Tubbo’s infectious energy started to rub off on him. It, like many other things that day, brought a smile to Wilbur’s face. The three boys were all known for not being good at making friends in one way or another, so to see them making new ones was nice. Niki and Eret were also smiling softly, engaging in a calm conversation about simple things, occasionally humoring the rambunctious teenagers with some light banter. As for Schlatt and Wilbur himself, they were both leading the group, catching up on the other’s life and Wilbur stopping Schlatt from pointing out too many inappropriate things.

“Here’s the place!” Wilbur said, gesturing ahead. He was really proud of the set up, he spent a few days planning where to make the bonfire and clearing out the area. He made sure to check with knowledgeable people about mob activity, and pick a night that they said it would be relatively low. The fence surrounding the fire and the light would prevent any from spawning too close, so Wilbur wasn’t worried. He put logs and chairs around so everyone could sit, and was sure to bring along food and his guitar. Soon enough, the small bonfire was roaring with life, the group happily munching and making jokes, sometimes listening to songs and watching the bright stars of the night.

Soon enough, Schlatt stood, exclaiming in a slurred tone (when did he manage to get drunk?), “Alrighttttt birthday boy! Its time to sing- sing- sing the ya know- the _fuckin_ _what’s it called_ \- the song and all that shit, here we gooooo-“

“Alrightttt Schlatt please sit down-“ Niki said, feigning cheerfulness only to give Schlatt a look that promised a serious talk about not drinking in front of children, “-Before we do any of that! Wilbur, we’re so glad you made this and so glad you’re a part of our lives, so we all worked together on this...”

Niki pulled out a box, handing it to Wilbur who took it in surprise, setting his guitar to the side. He glanced around at his friends who he had come to consider family, watching their encouraging smiles. With slender fingers, he opened the package carefully, analyzing and internalizing every passing moment, not wanting to forget it.

Inside were three things: a photo, a smooth, decorative polished dagger, and a book. He took out the dagger first, admiring it. It was decorative, metal flowers and iron plants on its hilt. “That was my idea. You can always sharpen it later,” Schlatt said, seeming to have sobered up slightly, “but I figured you’d like something practical as well as pretty. You were always were into that shit.”

Wilbur smiled at Schlatt, giving him a nod. Even if he wasn’t a fighter, he did like the dagger. It reminded him that if push came to shove, he could protect the ones he cared about. Not without at least first trying to resolve it peacefully though.

He next picked up the book, the smoothing his hand on the cover. Written on top was his name, in Niki’s beautiful hand writing, to which Niki said with a knowing smile, “You said you were running out of space in your last song notebook, so I got you a new one. Look on the first page.”

He flipped the book open, being met with different messages of well wishes, little doodles, and other kind words that made his breath catch. There was a message from every one of his friends, as well as some far off friends he hadn’t seen in a while. _How long had they planned this?_

“Don’t forget the photo!” Tubbo exclaimed, Tommy agreeing heartily.

Wilbur turned over the photo to see them all, standing in town square. Tommy and Tubbo were over near the bottom of the frame, having been the ones to take the photo. Niki, Eret and himself sat on the rim of the fountain in town square, chatting, while Schlatt and Ranboo awkwardly talked near the back. The whole image radiated a certain warmth, it made him want to tear up almost.

“Me and Tommy took it! We had to take a few of them though, because Tommy wouldn’t stop pushing me to get in frame.” Tubbo said, ignoring Tommy’s, “Hey!” of protest.

“I just- I don’t know what to say..” Wilbur said, awe in his voice. He turned to his friends, yet again scanning their faces, letting a warm smile on his face, “Thank you. All of you.” 

“Now that he’s done being all soft and shit, can we have cake?” Tommy said in typical Tommy fashion, Tubbo lightly pushing his shoulder. The sudden outburst brought the group out of their soft trance, as the night was filled with laughter and the off key tune of Happy Birthday. Niki, unsurprisingly, made a cake, having had gotten some tips from Tubbo’s dad, and the night went back to the energy of before.

Wilbur was at his best in a long time. This night was perfect, he couldn’t have ask for anything more. People he loved surrounded him, he was _happy_ , and nothing could change that.

.

.

.

But there’s an issue with perfection and Wilbur, and it’s that _something always had to ruin it._

.

.

.

A steel toed foot crushed their gate, and suddenly, the warmth and safety of the night had been doused in ice cold fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh.


	4. Questionable Guests (How Do You Deal With Them?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three heavily armed mercenaries walk into an 18 year olds birthday party. 
> 
> I wish there was a punchline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The summary for this chapter is my best one yet honestly nothing tops it, quote that.

In retrospect, Wilbur shouldn’t have expected everything to go to plan. No matter how perfect you want something to be, there will always be something off, even by a little. As much as that annoyed him, he came to accept over the years that he can’t account for everything, and that sometimes, he’s gotta take things in stride.

But also, he thinks it’s pretty fair to be upset by _three strange, heavily geared men suddenly crashing his 18th birthday with a look and a stance that promised trouble._

And by well geared, they looked prepared to take on an entire army. Netherite glistened with powerful enchantments, the boots easily able to crush the oak wood fence beneath its weight. The dick head who crushed the fence wore a mask with a smiley face, something Wilbur would’ve found funny in _literally any other scenario_ , except for the fact that it had specks of dried blood on its side and the fact that the masked man in question was _wielding an axe_. His pals behind him didn’t have masks, the dark haired one lazily twirling his sword, and the one in glasses standing still, alert.

“William and Theseus Minecraft, I presume?” The masked man said, taking a step forward. 

Wilbur pulled Tommy behind him, wielding his new iron dagger, well aware it would do nothing against these men, sharpened or otherwise. His friends shifted nervously, unarmed, tense, and confused. Despite the fact they outnumbered the men three to seven, they had brought nothing to defend themselves with. If push came to shove, they could do nothing.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Wilbur said, his eyes narrowing. He didn’t like how they knew the names his father and older brother had given him and his younger brother, or the fact they came so well prepared. Tommy, for once in his life was quiet, his eyes trained on the three men. Wilbur gripped the iron dagger tightly. He was glad he at least had his weapon of choice.

“Didn’t mean to crash your party and all that,” The dark haired man mused, shrugging his shoulders, “But we need you to come with us, unless you like the idea of a fight in a forest fire.” There was a pyromaniac glint in his eyes, which gave Wilbur enough to know he was _far_ from joking.

“What?! But we haven’t done anything wrong, what the fuck!” Tommy said, pushing forward to face the men, Wilbur grabbing his shoulder in case he did anything rash. 

“Yeah, what is this about?” Eret said, the others nodding in agreement with them.

The man with glasses stepped out, saying, “Look, we only need the two of them. You all can be on your way, but if you try and stop us we will attack.”

“Why would we leave them?! You’re taking them who knows where, you could hurt them!” Niki said, going forward in the group to stand closer to Wilbur and Tommy, a reassurance. _We’re your friends, we won’t let them take you._

“How do you know our names?” Wilbur said, eyes narrowing. His grip on Tommy tightened, as he struggled to think of a way out of this. There was no way they’d all be able to out run them, and fighting simply wasn’t an option. The only thing he could really do is bargain.

Good thing he was good with words.

“Cause we know your dad, and your brother.” The masked man said, taking a step forward, the oak fence groaning even more as he crushed it under his netherite boots. Wilbur held back a gulp.

“Well they fucked off ages ago, you won’t find them here. And you haven’t answered why you’re doing this either.” Wilbur said, his hand not leaving Tommy’s shoulder. He couldn’t see his brothers face, but he hoped the message got across: _let me handle this, stay back, don’t antagonize them._

“Simple. We need leverage.” The masked man and his men continued to walk forward slowly, the other two coming around to circle the group. It was clear they couldn’t stall for much longer. Wilbur wracked his brain for something, _anything_ , the heat of the bonfire roaring behind his back-

_Was that a feather?_

A feather fell between him and the masked man. Light grey to midnight black, speckled with bits of white like stars in the night sky.

Just as Wilbur remembered, back from when he was eleven.

Philza Minecraft landed with a thump between his sons and the masked man, his own netherite sword and armor gleaming with enchants. Tommy turned with a gasp to see Technoblade duel wielding a crossbow and a sword of his own, both trained on the other two men’s necks. Wilbur stood frozen stiff, watching as dark speckled wings raised aggressively, arched widely to protect him and Tommy. He couldn’t see his fathers face, the man’s back being turned to him, but he could tell one thing for sure.

_Philza was angry._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no (Part Two, Electric Boogaloo)


	5. And They Fought (How Did This Happen Again?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, don’t go in the living room, dad’s mad.
> 
> (Aka, Phil kicks ass)
> 
> (So does Techno ig)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve never written a fight scene before, so please let me know if it’s good or not

“Fancy seeing you here,” The masked man said, eyes trained on the winged man currently protecting his sons. 

Started gasps came from the rest of the group at the sight of Phil, having had disappeared for so long, returning so quickly. He had been well known in town years ago, his reputation for being kind and generous having spread to all the shop keepers. His disappearance caused many people worry.

That didn’t matter though, not in the face of this situation.

For a moment, a tense silence over took the group, everyone hardly daring to breathe.

...

Philza looked over his shoulder, making eye contact with Wilbur. Wilbur’s eyes widened, picking up every little detail. His father had changed so much, yet so little in the years he’d been gone. A new scar stretched near his eye, pale against tanned skin. The way his eye’s narrowed so sharply, something Wilbur had mastered at replicating when he was ten. His bucket hat, worn down but still the same from when he was a child. Time felt frozen as he took in every detail. It seemed that Phil did the same, taking in who his son had become after so many years. Then, time went back to normal, Phil turning back to his adversary.

“William.” He said lowly, his voice still containing that commanding quality when he was on guard or needed Wilbur’s attention, “I need you to get Theseus and the others out of here. We’ll handle this.”

Wilbur wanted to protest. He wanted to fight the order _so badly_ , to ask him what gave him the right to come and protect him now, to come and be a parent now. He wanted to correct the names, the names he and Tommy tossed away ages ago. He wanted to scream, to demand where he and Techno went, and why they leftthem, where they had gone all those years ago. He knew Tommy wanted to as well, based on the way he tensed at his given name, and the way his eyebrows scrunched together. But they couldn’t afford that, not right now. He gave Tommy a slight nod, a message to listen to Phil.

“Theres really no need to make this difficult you know. We will get your sons, Philza Minecraft, and you too. You’ve been a thorn in my side from the start, and I’m afraid I can’t have you two just waltzing around anymore.” The masked man said coldly, shifting ever so slightly into a more aggressive stance. The shift didn’t go unnoticed by Phil, who matched to do the same.

It was Techno who made the first move, sweeping the pyromaniac off his feet while taking a shot at the man in glasses. Then, it all went to hell.

Wilbur grabbed Tommy’s arm and bolted to the right of the bonfire, yelling to his friends, “FOLLOW ME, LETS GO!” They were off, scrambling to run away from the Bonfire.

Niki and Eret dodged a stray arrow shot from Technoblade, currently facing two opponents. Both of them sprinted to the left of the bonfire, swerving around the guy in glasses and jumping the fence, fleeing to the forest.

Philza dashed at the masked man, swords clashing as his father attempted to get the upper hand. The masked man dodged, going for Phils wings, but Phil took off flying high before dive bombing, gliding quickly as he turned, landing and sliding on his feet, dirt being pulled up from the earth.

Tommy grabbed Tubbo as they went, saving his head from being chopped off as the masked man went at Phil again, missing by a hair. Ranboo darted away to the left of the bonfire and into the woods, teleporting as much as he could.

Techno kicked the man with glasses towards the bonfire, the man hitting his back on the stone wall surrounding the bonfire with a wheeze, but jumping up again, returning to the fray. Techno growled in annoyance, reloading his crossbow and punching the pyromaniac. The dark haired man snarled, spitting out blood before charging at Techno with his sword.

Schlatt ran into the woods in a half drunken panic. Stumbling over the broken fence, the ram hybrid cast one look back to check that his other friends and least made it out before running left, nausea beginning to take hold.

Mobs, having had not spawned in the light of the bonfire, were dodged by all fleeing parties in the darkness of the forest. Wilbur cut through a zombie in his path, Tommy wrenching out of his brother’s grasp to deliver a punch to a Creeper out of their way as he ran. Tubbo stumbled over rocks but somehow kept his balance, looking around to try and find the village or Tommy and Wilbur’s home. Wilbur slashed at another zombie, blood splattering at the fatal blow. 

Tubbo shoved Tommy out of the way of an arrow, taking it to the side with a gasp.

“TUBBO!” Tommy shouted, grabbing his friend before he could fall, hoisting him up. “ _You’re so stu_ \- never mind we’ve gotta go, we’ve gotta go!”

He supported most of Tubbo’s weight, trying to hobble with him when Wilbur turned around, eyes widening at Tubbo’s injury. He shoved the bloodied iron dagger towards his brother, picking up Tubbo. “You need to defend us Tommy, I’ve got him.” He said in a panicked yet serious tone. Tommy, knowing there was no room for argument, gave a nod, taking out the skeleton that shot Tubbo quickly. They continued to run.

Ranboo was backed into a corner, a zombie limping his way. He tried to use his enderman side to his advantage, attempting to scare it away but found himself too panicked to do so. The zombie jumped at him, he _raised his arms up to try and defend himself_ -

-But Schlatt was quicker, throwing himself bodily at the zombie. He let out a groan before hoisting himself to his feet, grabbing Ranboo and practically dragging the kid away, following the light of the town.

Niki and Eret kept running, well aware they’d have to circle back right in order to reach their town and get help. Niki wanted to cry out for her friends, to see them with her own eyes, but that was not an option right now. They both kept running, Eret having a torch on hand he lit as soon as the light of the bonfire faded in the distance. Any mobs that got too close would be met by the torches fire, but it wasn’t a the best solution, or light source. Eret swore as they failed to flame a creeper, both them and Niki being blasted back, Eret taking the brunt of the explosion. They took Niki by the hand, bringing her up and they pushed forward, dark oak trees looming above them.

Schlatt and Ranboo reached the town first, heaving from all the running they did. Schlatt stumbled over to a bush, promptly throwing up and passing out, Ranboo rushing towards him to stop him from hitting his head on the concrete. He looked back at the forest, only for his eyes to widen.

Fire licked at trees in the distance.

Their town was surrounded by forest.

His friends were still out there.

“Oh god, _please no_.” Ranboo breathed out, red and green eyes widening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let’s add a forest fire on top of this whole mess, shall we?
> 
> *laughs in being an author*


	6. Hard Choices (You’d Think Keeping Your Family Safe Would Be Easy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Children shouldn’t have to deal with arrow wounds and hard choices. Yet children are dealing with it, and honestly it’s going to give Wilbur grey hairs at the tender age of 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha updates go brrrr

Wilbur smelled the smoke first.

They had been running in the forest for a while, the sun creeping up towards the sky. They eventually ran out of energy, but luckily could afford to walk, as mobs disappeared or burned under the light of the sun. Wilbur recognized they were heading towards the house, Tubbo weighing in his arms. 

They stopped at one point to take the arrow out of his side, Tommy anxiously hovering around his best friend ever since. Wilbur recalled the boys winces as they settled him down in the small cave, Tommy finding some coal and sticks and lighting a torch. Wilbur took off his jacket, grabbing the iron dagger and cutting off both sleeves, with a bit of struggling. The material was sturdy and strong, it would be good to slow the bleeding.

“Tubbo.” He said softly, careful not to startle him, “We have to take the arrow out. After that, you can sleep. We’ll get you somewhere safe, okay?”

Tubbo hesitated before nodding, leaning on Tommy’s shoulder as the blonde boy sat next to him, looking uncharacteristically forlorn. Wilbur set the sleeves close to him, Tommy holding his friends hand tightly.

“3...”

“2...”

“1...”

Wilbur took the arrow out as fast as he could, in order to spare Tubbo from any excess pain. That didn’t stop it from hurting like hell though, as Tubbo let out a scream that made Tommy hold his hand tighter, the other boy closing his eyes tightly as if it would block out his friends pain.

It was over quickly, but Wilbur felt like he aged a decade as he tossed the arrow aside aggressively, as if it would make his anger fade. Tubbo closed his eyes, exhaustion over taking him. Tommy helped Wilbur use the sleeves to wrap them tightly around his friends side, the blood leaving a dark stain already.

Wilbur turned to his brother, looking him over for any sign of injury. Other than a gash on his arm from a zombie that had gotten a hold of a sword, he was fine, getting off easy with a few scrapes and bruises.

“We’re taking care of that sword wound when we get home, okay?” Wilbur said, his tone leaving no room for argument or protest. Tommy must’ve picked up on it, because rather than refusing help as usual, he stayed silent, opting instead to stare at his now sleeping best friend.

“Do you have any string on you?” Wilbur asked after a beat of contemplative silence.

“No... none of the spiders dropped any. There’s some at home though.” Tommy muttered, clenching his fists. Wilbur knew what he was doing. Whenever he was near crying, Tommy would always shut his eyes tight and ball his fists, trying to be strong.

He decided to wait til they got home to call him out on it though, picking up Tubbo with a sigh. “We’ll go there then. I recognize this part of the woods, we should be there soon. This’ll stop the bleeding for now, but it’ll probably need stitches.”

Tommy gave a tiny nod, grabbing the dagger and torch instead of replying. He blew out the torch, and they headed out of the cave.

That brought them to the moment he smelled the smoke. They walked and walked, and that’s when it hit Wilbur: he paused, hoping that his senses were tricking him, hearing Tommy stop as well.

“Is that...?” Tommy whispered.

“ _Shit_.” Wilbur swore vigorously, turning around to see the rising smoke in the distance.

“Wil, the town, our house, _oh fu_ \- what do we do?!” Tommy said, eyes filled with fear as he turned to his brother. Wilbur was at a loss for words.

He could see the silhouette of Phil, flying over the fire, dousing it with water. Wilbur knew it would be hard for his father and brother, but he could only hope they’d be enough to stop the flames. He turned to his brother again, brown eyes locking onto blue ones.

“We’ve gotta head to the house. Phil... he’s putting it out. I’ll head to town to try and find the others, but our priority right now is Tubbo.” Wilbur decided, careful to sound calm and in control of the situation, turning and running through the forestry.

“What- you’re going back out there?! Wil, you could get hurt-“ Tommy yelled out, running to keep up with him.

“I’ll be fine, but the other’s might not be Tommy! We don’t have time to argue, okay? Less talking, more running.” He yelled back, as the forest began to become more and more familiar. There was the stream he played in when he was 7, the tree etched with his family’s names, the huge bolder that had been knocked down in the storm two years ago, he knew this forest well. It was the forest he played in as a child.

The forest he could lose as an adult.

His house came into view, and he and Tommy rushed in, shutting the door behind them. “Tubbo’s probably going to need stitches,” Wilbur said, putting the boy on the couch, “Do you remember me teaching you how to do it properly?”

That was one of the skills Phil actually was able to teach Wilbur before he left. In retrospect, it was a really odd thing to teach a ten year old, but he passed it on to Tommy regardless, hoping he’d never have to use said skill. The boy in question said, “My hands are too shaky, you know that!”

“Well I need to find the others Tommy! I can’t just stay here when they could be hurt somewhere!” Wilbur said, standing up from his place next to Tubbo.

“How about this: I find them, you take care of Tubbo? I’m faster than you, I can fight well enough, and you’re better at first aid anyways-“

“I don’t know what makes you think I’m letting you go _anywhere_ with your injuries-“

“-and you can take care of Tubbo better, I’m fine, I’ll wrap up the wound before I go if you care so much, but you’re better at this Wilbur!”

The brothers stared at eachother, and Wilbur wanted to scream. He hated to admit it, but Tommy was right. He was better at mending than fighting, and Tommy was shit at first aid. That didn’t stop him from wanting to keep Tommy here though, where he was safe and where he could see him. But there was too much at stake. And Tubbo needed medical attention first and foremost. Wilbur looked between the two before letting out a frustrated groan and tugging his younger brother by his uninjured arm dragging him to a chair, ignoring his surprise.

“At least let me wrap the injury properly.” Wilbur said, leaving his brother next to the chair and grabbing some gauze from the first aid kit, wrapping it around the gash securely. Tommy moved to stand, but Wilbur stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, kneeling to look his brother in the eyes. “Don’t do anything stupid. Get the others and come straight back. If you aren’t back in 2 hours, I’m going out and bringing you back, _regardless_ if you’ve found the others or not. Be careful, got it?” The brunette said seriously, hoping Tommy understood the severity of the situation. The blonde nodded, and Wilbur let him go, turning to Tubbo.

Wilbur wasn’t a believer in Prime, but before running out the door with the emergency diamond sword, Tommy could’ve sworn he heard Wilbur mutter, 

“If either of you die _so help me Prime_ , a forest fire will be the _least_ of my father’s and his enemies concerns.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyy big bro Wilbur is my favorite 
> 
> Also I have never been shot by an arrow and I’m not a medical professional so there is a chance that some things are inaccurate here.


	7. Between a Rock and a Hard Place (We’re in Dangerous Waters Now)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What would you choose, a river with Drowned more than willing to drag you down, or a raging fire approaching you rapidly?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never been in a forest fire, or even been remotely near one, so I apologize if this is inaccurate :,)
> 
> Niki and Eret are really going through it man

Niki and Eret had been walking through the forest when they saw it.

Both were battered and bruised, the after effects of the Creeper explosion hitting them hard. They had to fight off the occasional mob, considering the density of the dark oak forest shielded the sun from view at times, but for the most part, they focused on heading in the direction of the town.

The forest was big, it stretched on for miles. Though it might’ve felt like nothing when the group was all together heading towards the bonfire, the walk was long. Wilbur always liked seclusion, that’s likely why he went so far into the forest in the first place.

If only they could’ve predicted this.

Eret stopped suddenly, causing Niki to snap out of her thoughts. “I smell smoke.” They said slowly, turning around to look as best they could at the sky from under the large branches. Niki smelled it too, casting her companion a fearful look at the realization. Their town was surrounded by trees, if a fire started...

“I’m gonna get on this tree to see for sure if there’s a fire. _If there is_...” Eret trailed off, seeming unsure. “...we’ll have to warn the town, definitely.”

As Eret climbed the tree, Niki was left to her own thoughts. She checked her inventory, praying that she had enough food. An Apple, 3 pieces of steak, and 5 cookies. She turned to call up the tree, “Eret! How much longer to the town!”

“Not sure! As soon as we reach the river, it’ll only be about 30 minutes!” They called back, still climbing.

Niki sighed. She’s have to ask if Eret had enough food on them. Closing her inventory, she leaned on the tree, only for Eret to come rushing down. 

  
“The fire isn’t far, we’ve gotta run!” Eret exclaimed, his feet hitting the ground with a thump.

Smoke began billowing in, making both of them cough harshly. The light of the fire had just began to show from where they stood. They took that as their cue to run, dodging branches and rocks as the fire continued to eat at the forest.

Niki ran under a tree, not seeing a branch fall, headed straight for her head-

-Eret yelled in warning, Niki’s eyes widening as she looked up at the branch. She guarded her head, hoping she can run fast enough to avoid it-

-but Phil swooped in, grabbing Niki by the upper arms and hoisting her up as he flew, swooping down the hill as Eret slid on their side down. Techno splashed water on the roaring flames, the piglin hybrid not nearly as effected by the heat and flame.

“Go! We can handle the fire, just go!” Phil exclaimed, setting Niki down and taking off again, flying over the flames, wings extended fully. Niki would’ve marveled at the spectacle, but Eret grabbed her arm and they ran off again, the river in their sights. They jumped over a particularly large rock, Eret letting Niki go in favor of both of them going faster, Eret reaching the river first.

“Do you have any blocks?!” Eret asked, looking back and forth from the water and the flames.

“No! Should we swim across?!” Niki said, catching up to Eret only to pale at the sight of at least 7 drowned in the water. Eret noticed too, the dark hands of drowned attempting to reach them from the water hard to ignore. “I think we have to.” They said, tearing their eyes away from the water at turning to Niki.  
  


Hesitantly, Niki weighed their options. They could try and find a way around the river, risking encountering more fire and more mobs, but that would’ve been more dangerous and difficult. They could try and get blocks from the wood, hoping their hastily made planks would hold their weight, but that would be risky and would slow them down. They could swim over quickly, avoiding the Drowned and race to the town to warn them of the fire.

It seems like they really didn’t have any other choice.

Niki cast one last glance over her shoulder at the oncoming flames, before running as far down the river as she could, away from the gathering of Drowned, before jumping in, drawing them near her as Eret jumped in on the other end, both fighting the hard current and swimming to the other side for dear life. Cold, slimy hands attempted to grab at Niki and drag her down, but she pushed them away, her hands outstretched to meet the shore. She stayed as close as she could to the surface, casting a glance downward at three Drowned headed her way, their rotted, broken faces locked on to her.

She dragged herself up frantically as soon as she felt the dry grass meet her palms. She had little time to relish her relief though, when she heard a cry from Eret.

She turned to see Eret clinging on to the overhang of the shore, two pairs of rotted hands grabbing their right ankle, broken nails piercing their skin.

Niki wasted no time to rush over, grabbing one of Eret’s hands and tugging him away, fighting the undead creatures efforts to drag her friend away. The struggle went on, Niki tugging with all her might.

Tommy, having heard their cries, rushed in, grabbing Eret’s other hand. One of the Drowned’s faces lifted out of the water, a warbled groan coming from it, only to be cut off by a well placed kick from Eret to the jaw. That was enough, Niki and Tommy being able to pull Eret out of the water, all of them toppling over as the Drowned sunk back into the river, bubbles surfacing as rotted hands retreated.

After catching his breath, Tommy stood, looking at two dark figures fighting the fire in the distance. Phil and Techno apparently scared off their attackers, and were now trying to slow the fires steady pace, water buckets splashing the licking flames.

They seemed to be doing well, but it wouldn’t be enough, he knew. They were only two people, they could only do so much.

Tommy’s eyes narrowed, turning to the other two. “I’m glad I found you two. Wilbur and Tubbo are safe, and Ranboo and Schlatt got to town. We’ve gotta go, and get you guys to safety.” He said, helping them both up.

“What’s that, are you _injured_ Tommy?!” Niki said, grabbing his arm. There was gauze wrapped around it, a red spot slowly growing.

“I’m _fine_ ,” Tommy groaned, retracting his arm, “Wilbur already fussed over it, he’s taking care of Tubbo. Someone had to go find you guys. We don’t have time for this right now.”

Eret sighed before saying, “He’s right. But Tommy, no rushing out there once we get back, ok? Let the Captain and the others help Philza and Technoblade out.”

“... fine. Ranboo went to get them, they should be heading out here soon.” Tommy said, clearly not enjoying the idea of sitting on the sidelines, but electing to compromise for now.

Niki gave them both a smile, glad that they were both ok. Eret returned it with a smile of their own, Tommy looking away in embarrassment before clearing his throat, saying, “Are we just gonna stand around all day, or are we gonna go?” The other two laughed, glad they could find at least a bit of humor in this mess.

With that they ran, headed towards the light of the town, and away from the light of the fire. 

They could only hope the others would handle the rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not typically write action-heavy stories, but it’s been kinda fun surprisingly. The next few chapters will be following my strong suit though, which is more dialogue and symbolism, so with any luck, you all will find that entertaining as well.


	8. In The Middle Of A Storm (Sit And Relish The Calm)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, it’s nice to melt into the background and watch, just for a moment. After all, detachment is bliss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyy, ya Genderfluid Gal/Guy/Pal is back with another chapterrrrr
> 
> Ive been a lil unmotivated and numb recently, so this is me projecting on Ranboo a bit.
> 
> Enjoy!

Ranboo sat in the midst of a panicked town preparing to fight a fire, and felt an odd sense of peace.

He guessed he was probably just used to overwhelming anxiety, or the crushing fear that something terrible was going to happen, but here he was, sitting on a bench, a passed out Schlatt at his side, gripping his stress grass, watching as Tubbo’s dad shouted orders to the others and people making their way to the forest, water buckets in hand.

He felt like a spectator, watching the world around him as time passed and as people ran. Detached from the situation entirely. It was probably a coping mechanism, Ranboo thought, the hybrid curling his clawed fingers around the soft grass, squeezing it occasionally. The underlying anxiety was pretty familiar to him, easy to ignore. Honestly, Ranboo was glad about it. This night had been particularly overwhelming.

He recalled Tommy running down from the path to his house, diamond sword strapped to his back, frantically searching for a familiar face. When he and Ranboo made eye contact, he rushed over instantly.

“Ranboo!” He yelled, gripping his new friends shoulders. “You’re not dead!”

“Yep, very alive, lots of aliveness here heh..” He said, having just come back from warning the Captain (as he’s been told Tubbo’s dad is called,) about the fire.

“Good! Man, Wilbur and Tubbo are gonna be so impressed at how fast I found you. Wil’s gonna go, ‘ _oh Tommy, Tommy! You found them so quickly! You’re such a big man_ ,’ and all that shit.” Tommy said, poorly imitating his older brother while puffing out his chest proudly.

“Well Schlatt’s over there so you found two of us...” Ranboo said, gesturing to the passed out man who at some point had been transferred to a bench, very unaware of his surroundings. Tommy winced at the sight, replying, “Well, I’m not carrying him home. Have you seen Niki or Eret around?”

“No... were you guys not with them?!” Ranboo said, giving his new friend a panicked look. Surely his older sister and Eret were ok, right?

Tommy shook his head, looking at the forest. Ranboo caught on to the blonde boy’s determined look. “You aren’t gonna- you know-“

“I have to. No one gets left behind, big man.” Tommy said, giving Ranboo a small smile.

“ _You can’t just go back in there_! Those weird guys who attacked us might be there, and not to mention there’s a literal forest fire, you can’t just- I’m all for heroism but you-“ Ranboo started, panicked speech being cut off by Tommy.

“Me and Wilbur are the reason they attacked. The least we can do is get you guys back home.” Tommy said, reaching for the diamond sword strapped to his back. “Besides, I’m not defenseless. I’ve got the pog sword!” He proclaimed, holding out said sword, which sparkled with enchantments.

Ranboo hesitated, but sighed, saying defeatedly, “Well, I can’t really stop you so...”

“You stay here man. Keep an eye out for them in case they get here first.” Tommy said with a grin, nudging Ranboo’s arm comfortingly. “I’ll go out there, I’m a big man, I can handle it!”

Ranboo couldn’t help but smile back, Tommy’s confident and excited energy rubbing off him. The other teen grinned before running into the forest, yelling over his shoulder, “Just wait Ranboo, I’m gonna be the biggest man and save the day and shit- ow fuck-“ In usual Tommy fashion, he tripped over a branch on his way out.

Ranboo waved until his friend was out of sight, sighing and sitting down heavily, where he remained now, nearly an hour and a half later, watching as people came and went. The grass in his hand was crushed after being gripped so tightly.

Okay. Maybe he was feeling a bit of the tension around him.

He tried not to think of Niki. His older sister was strong, she was fine, right? The question rang through Ranboo’s mind, the hybrid suddenly feeling less detached to the situation than previously. Surely Niki would be alright, and Eret? And Tommy? And all the others? Ranboo’s head began to hurt as the questions repeated over and over, uncertainty and worry only growing.

_What if they aren’t ok-_

_-What then-_

_-What would I do without Niki?_

_-I can’t just sit here, I wanna do something, I wanna help-_

_But I don’t know how to help, god can I be more useless-_

_-I’m too weak to help-_

_Can I really do nothing-_

A hand fell on his shoulder, causing Ranboo to jump, snapped out of his nervous thoughts as Schlatt groaned, dragging himself up.

“You good kid? Been callin’ your name for a while now.” The other hybrid said, a tired groan covering a bit of concern.   
  


“Wh-yeah yeah I’m-you know I’m fine I’m alright, sorry I just-“ Ranboo stuttered, the grass he has been clenching falling from his grip to the concrete.

“Jeez slow down, let a hungover man think, Christ-“ Schlatt grumbled, massaging his temples. He still hadn’t let go of Ranboo. The enderman hybrid in question paused, gathering his thoughts.

“You’re all high strung. What’s going on again?” The ram hybrid said after a while, narrowing his eyes at the crowd.

“We were attacked, remember? You saved me-thank you for that by the way- and uhh we ran here and you passed out. Tommy is looking for Niki and Eret.” Ranboo said, avoiding stuttering as much as he could.

“What about Wilbur and that Tubbo kid? They alright?” Schlatt asked, clearly only processing half of that information.

“Uhh Tommy mentioned them. I think they’re ok, they’re probably at Wilbur’s place.” Ranboo said, watching Schlatt visibly relax. After a moment, the ram straightened up, looking around at the people rushing by.

“So, what the fuck is up with this crowd?” Schlatt said, taking in the scene.

“Uhh well you remember the bonfire, right?”

“Yeah, where we got fuckin’ jumped, what about it?” Schlatt questioned, taking out a flask from who knows where and taking a swig.

“Uhh well long story short the forest is on fire.”

Schlatt choked on his drink, coughing and sputtering out, “Wh- _Kid what the hell_ -how did that- _what_?!” He eventually got out, his head whipping around to meet Ranboo’s eyes. Ranboo only shrugged, not really sure what to say to him.

“So-“ Schlatt paused to cleared his throat, his eyes narrowing, “-so the whole town might go up in smoke?”

“Yeah-uh yeah pretty much.” Ranboo stuttered nervously. Schlatt turned his attention back to the townsfolk, letting out a heavy sigh. 

“Well. We’re fucked.”

.

.

.

About two seconds later, a familiar voice called, startling the two hybrids with a loud yell,

“ _TOMMY, ITS BEEN 2 HOURS, IF YOU’RE DEAD I’LL MURDER YOU_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh, Wilby is about to start stabbin’ shit


	9. Simmering (There’s Something Behind His Eyes)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s only a matter of time until the fire roars. Poke at the flames while you can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in two days! We love to see it!!

Wilbur had been pacing the house for about an hour.

He patched up Tubbo, applied a regeneration potion to his side, and moved him to the guest room, hushing the boys half-conscious groans. Then he moved out the dinning room, keeping his eye on the door and the time. He occasionally checked his communicator, his screen showing no new messages from Tommy.

Part of him wanted to rush out, to grab his brother and bring him home again, but he told his brother he’d give him two hours. _Tommy is_ _competent enough to be able to handle himself_ , Wilbur tried to reason.

Didn’t stop the all-encompassing, gut wrenching worry. Didn’t stop the fear of finding Tommy bloodied, bruised, _dead_.

Wilbur cast away the thought for now, instead focusing on the other major emotion of the night: anger. Raging, festering, consuming anger.

_Because how dare they._

Philza and Technoblade Minecraft, family or not, had put not only he and Tommy in danger, but his friends-no, his real family in danger. The people who were there for him when they weren’t. They had gone off making enemies, and it put all of them in danger.

Not to mention the old wound Wilbur had finally convinced himself he’d shut of them leaving all those years ago had reopened, old bitter fire flaring up very much like the forest that surrounded his town. Wilbur balled his fists, glaring out the window with vigor he hadn’t summoned up in a good while.

_They caused this._

They put Niki in danger. They put Schlatt in danger. They put Eret in danger. They put him in danger. They put _goddamn kids_ , Tommy, Tubbo, Ranboo, in danger. And for what? What was so fucking important, that they had to go and make those kinds of enemies?

The audacity. _The fucking audacity_. Wilbur resisted the incessant urge to charge out to wherever those two were and destroy them.

He slammed his hand on the dinner table, startling when something fell on at his feet. The iron dagger, still splattered with zombie blood. It was almost ironic, the steel flowers at the hilt so innocent and bright, tainted with dark blood.

Wilbur let out a heavy sigh, picking up the weapon from the ground. The blood wasn’t quite dried enough to be too much of a hassle to clean, Wilbur mused, desperate to take his mind off of the negative for the time being.  


  
There was a time and a place to blow up. This was not it.

Wilbur walked into the kitchen, stopping by the cabinet to grab an old rag. He stood by the sink, observing as the blade slowly lost the taint of redish greenish brown, wiping away some to make the process faster. Work meant distraction, and _by Prime_ , Wilbur needed distraction. He grabbed one of Techno’s old sharpening stones, scraping it across the newly cleaned blade.

Considering what just happened, Wilbur figured he’d need to sharpen it.

_Scrape_

For Tommy.

_Scrape_

For Tubbo.

_Scrape_

For Ranboo.

_Scrape_

For Niki.

_Scrape_

For Eret.

_Scrape_

For Schlatt.

_Scrape_

The clock on the wall chimed six times.  
  


6 am. It’d had been two hours, and no sign of his brother. He checked his communicator again. No new messages.

Wilbur was not known for patience. He set down the stone, striding towards the door and without so much as looking back, he raced towards the town.

Bringing us to now, as the brunette fiercely wielded the dagger, pushing past civilians as he searched for his stupid, selfless brother, yelling, “ _TOMMY, ITS BEEN 2 HOURS, IF YOU’RE DEAD I’LL MURDER YOU._ ”

He ignored any confused and/or concerned glances thrown his way, especially when he saw Ranboo and Schlatt. The two looked worn out, but not visibly hurt. Really, it was almost kind of funny how frazzled they looked, if you discounted the fact that they had been running from a forest fire and men in full enchanted netherite.  


Striding up to the hybrids, he cut to the chase, saying, “He found you two at least. If you want to go to our house for a bit, you can. It’s pretty hectic around here. It’s on the cobblestone path that leads outside the town, you’ll know it when you see it.”

Ranboo tried to speak, but Schlatt cut him off, saying, “Yeah, we’ll crash at yours for a bit. Tubbo’s with you right? Might as well make sure the whole gang is safe.”

“But what about Niki, I can’t just-“ Ranboo started, only to have Schlatt cut him off again, saying, “Tommy and Wilbur know Niki well, they will find her. Besides-“ he leaned in, whispering so Wilbur, who was currently scanning the area for his brother, couldn’t hear, “-You’re part of the family dynamic now, kid. Wilbur’s pretty damn protective over his friends, and so it’ll be good to have all of us around so he can reaffirm to himself that everyone at the bonfire is safe and out of harms way.”

“But I‘ve only known him for a few hours! Niki and Eret could be hurt, I can’t just sit around at his house! I’ve gotta be here, where at least I can see them if they come back!” Ranboo whisper-yelled back, eyes flickering from Wilbur, to the forest, and to Schlatt.

“Doesn’t matter to him. He cares about you as much as he does everyone else. _Clingy Virgo_.” Schlatt muttered the last part under his breath before continuing, “ ‘Sides, Niki wouldn’t want you caught up in all this, worrying in the midst of a panicked crowd. Doesn’t do your anxiety good. So let’s go, we should check on Tubbo anyways.”

Ranboo hesitated, looking at the forest one last time before sighing, mumbling, “Fine...”

“Great! Let’s go, that bench was fuckin’ uncomfortable anyways. Wilbur, you know where we are and where we’re going now, so no need for mother henning here.” Schlatt said, turning to Wilbur, looking the brunette in the eyes, a silent conversation. _Be careful dumbass_ , Schlatt seemed to say, his eyes hardening with seriousness. The corner of Wilbur’s mouth twitched upward, a silent promise, _I will_. Schlatt held his stare for a moment before breaking eye contact, putting an arm over Ranboo’s shoulder.

“Don’t die,” Schlatt said, steering the endermen hybrid away towards where Wilbur came from, letting out a drawn out sigh. “Finally, can get to a damn couch. You’d think they’d at least give me a blanket or some shit, I am hungover still.”

Ranboo let out a small laugh, saying, “To be fair, they are trying to fight a raging forest fire.”

“No respect.” Schlatt pouted, picking up that he at least calmed the other hybrid’s worries a little. He let a small smile grace his face as they walked, away from the chaos and towards some peace of mind.

Wilbur, on the other hand, was charging head first into the chaos.

After making sure that Schlatt and Ranboo disappeared, making their way on the cobblestone path, Wilbur got back to finding his stupid younger brother, trying not to panic. He wasn’t anywhere in town, Wilbur confirmed that after racing around a bit, staring down streets for a familiar loud blonde. He at least remembered to wear his contacts that morning, so he didn’t have to worry about squinting. After finding himself in town square again, Wilbur groaned, glaring at the forest. When he finds Tommy, he’s going to _throttle_ him, damn that child for making him worry.

Wilbur ran into the forest, ignoring the calls of the other townsfolk. The sky was overcast, a gray haze replacing the golden sun that would usually shine through the trees. Wilbur gripped the iron dagger tightly, looking for something, anything. 

It was then when he heard beating wings, a loud thump behind him sounding as his father landed on the ground. _Of all the damn times_ -

“William.” Philza said, his wings folding in. “The forest is still on fire mate. You’ve gotta get back to the house.”

Wilbur tensed. He felt the roar of anger, frustration, pain right beneath his very skin, ready to burst out at any second. The storm in his eyes swirled, pure unfiltered fury ready to burst out and aim at the one who caused him so much pain for years upon years-

“Wil!” A familiar voice snapped him out of his anger. Wilbur turned to see Tommy running towards him, Niki and Eret not far behind, both of them looking relived. 

Niki hugged Wilbur, her bakery scent filling the air despite the events of the night. “I’m so glad you’re safe...” She said, pulling back to look at her friend. 

Eret gave a smile and a nod, Wilbur returning the smile with a relived look of his own. No words needed to be exchanged, Eret’s calm, cool presence soothing his worry and anger.

Tommy puffed up his chest, exclaiming proudly, “See?! Told ya I’d find them in two hours!”

“More like two hours and thirty minutes, you little gremlin child, you scared the shit out of me!” Wilbur replied, tugging his brother into a tight hug, resting his chin on Tommy’s head. Tommy made a little noise of surprise, before hugging Wilbur back, laughing a little.

He wished he could’ve stayed in that moment forever.

It was cut short, however, when Technoblade made an appearance, shining trident in hand as he shifted out of his piglin form and into his human form.

Wilbur and Tommy pulled out of the hug, staring at their brother. He had not changed much either, still bored looking. He stuck with the pink hair, long locks stretching down to his waist. His own Netherite armor shimmered, fitting his form perfectly, the new scars on the side of his face fitting his personality. He was fit for the battlefield, radiating cool confidence.

  
Tommy’s eyes sparkled in admiration, but Wilbur’s eyes conveyed nothing but white-hot fury, holding his younger brother’s shoulder protectively. There was something in those furious eyes, something painful, festering, ready to burst out and attack.  


Techno picked up on it, but elected to not call Wil out on it. He had to admit, his twin definitely got better at being intimidating. If Techno were anyone else, he might’ve been scared. He broke eye contact with the brunette, turning to Philza.

“The fire’s out. We’ve got a bit of debris to clean up, but that can wait. For now, we should get back to the house.” His brother said, monotone voice still the same as it was years upon years ago. Phil nodded, turning back to the rest of them.

“William, Thesus, I’m assuming you already got your other three friends to the house?” The winged man said too casually, too much like a father. Wilbur, holding back a flinch at their given names, gave a tense nod. He was biting back his anger for the sake of Tommy, Niki and Eret, but _by Prime_ did he want to scream.  


_Not now_ , he told himself, _we’ve been patient this long. Just hold on for a little longer._

Philza sighed in relief, turning to Niki and Eret. “You all are free to come to ours for a bit as well, unless you have anywhere else to go?”

“Ranboo is at your house, right Wil?” Niki said, worry seeping into her kind voice. She seemed to pick up on the underlying aggression as well, putting a hand on Wilbur’s arm.

Wilbur nodded again, not trusting himself to speak. Tommy gave him a confused, concerned look, seeming to want to say something, but for once in his life keeping his mouth shut.

“We’ll come with.” Eret said, stepping forward, next to Wil, quiet support. “To make sure everyone’s alright.”

_We’ll be with you_ , went unsaid but not unheard by Wilbur. 

“Right, let’s get going then.” Phil said, turning and walking through the forest, Techno at his side. Tommy followed behind, Wilbur next to him, Niki and Eret making up the end of the group.

_ They all pretended not to feel the radiating anger, or see the glare Wilbur gave to Phil and Techno’s backs. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wilby is still angy


	10. Temporary Peace (Easily Broken)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is safe. Not everyone is happy.
> 
> (Aka Wilby angy pt. 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a blood draw today and it was not poggers, but I finally finished this chapter! This is a long one, as a treat :)

Tubbo awoke to soft voices from another room.

He had to admit, he didn’t remember much of anything that had happened prior, hazy memories prodding at his half awake mind. His eyes opened slowly, the world around him coming into view. Tubbo blinked twice, brain slowly starting to kick in.

Right. Step one: figure out where he ended up in whatever mess that happened yesterday.

The first step was easy- familiar green walls, patterned with a flower and twisting vines design, the cabinet filled with dusty old books of Greek mythology that he and Tommy would pull out and read, the large window where the light of the sun would stream through, bathing the room in a honey tint-The guest room. Wilbur and Tommy’s house.

Tubbo let out a sigh of relief. He was safe, and in some place familiar. _Step one complete._

Step two: Sit up, and try to figure out what happened.

That proved slightly more difficult, Tubbo found as a dull pain in his side flared up as he dragged himself up. Tubbo winced, hand instinctively clutching his side, curling in on himself slightly. _That can’t be good_. Tubbo pulled up the side of his green button up shirt tentatively, looking down at bandages that weren’t there when the day began.

_That was probably not good. What happened?_

Tubbo remembered the bonfire. Warm flame, friends surrounding him, the sound of Tommy’s laugh, Wilbur’s singing. He remembered his face aching from the smile that had been on his face all night, grinning as friendly banter was exchanged from person to person. He remembered talking to Ranboo, slowly getting him out of his shell, eventually getting him to talk to the others.

Then he remembered the men came. Clad head to toe in netherite, a material Tubbo’s only heard of in story books. Very rare. Dangerous to come by, dangerous to go against. A brunette in glasses, a maniac with fire in his eyes, and most strangely, a masked man, looking to be their leader of sorts. Telling Wilbur and Tommy to come with them.

He remembered clutching his best friends arm tightly, wanting to pull him back when he marched up, standing next to Wilbur. Tubbo wanted to scream at him to come back, but found himself completely frozen, eyes trained on his best friend’s back as he stood high and proud, ready to take on the world.

Then, Technoblade and Philza. Two people he had only heard of. Tommy spoke proudly of them, but his tone of admiration was always tinged with sadness, worry. Fighting, fear, Wilbur screaming to run, Tommy pulling him out of his frozen trance and running, seeing the arrow come for his best friend, _pushing him out of harms way_ -

Pain. Then nothing much else.

_...right. That was a lot to take in. Step two complete_ , Tubbo mused. He was probably in shock, but the emotions of the night would hit him eventually. For now, he figured, he might as well use his numb state to his advantage.

Step three: Find someone, preferably Tommy, Wilbur, Dad, or Ranboo.

Tubbo put his feet on the solid ground, mentally preparing himself to stand. He grabbed the side of the bed, sucking in a breath before hoisting himself up, his hand flying to his side as more pain flared. Tubbo squeezed his eyes shut tightly, wincing. He knew he probably shouldn’t be standing, much less walking, but he limped through the room anyways, determined to find the others, make sure they were okay. 

He walked heavily to the door, the hand not clutch his side flying to the bronze handle as he let the door take some of his weight. Tubbo leaned his head against the door, taking a second to pity his aching side. 

_One step at a time_ , he thought, _better take this slow._

With new found conviction, Tubbo squared his shoulders, leaning away from the door, and turned the knob, walking out into the living room, stopping to see two familiar hybrids, seeming to have a quiet conversation.

“...Ranboo? Schlatt?” He mumbled sleepily, leaning on the wall.

Ranboo perked up, turning to look at Tubbo, only to worriedly exclaim, “Woah woah woah, uhh- you should maybe- You should really sit down, Tubbo, you look kinda pale.”

“Yeah kid, you look like shit.” Schlatt said ever so eloquently, leaning his arm over the top of the couch.

Tubbo gave a tired groan of agreement, beginning to limp to the couch, only for Ranboo to hop up and help him, nervous energy filling the air. Tubbo gave a tired smile to the endermen hybrid, sitting down on the other couch, bringing his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on them. Ranboo returned to the couch, sitting down like he was afraid to disturb anything or anyone.

“You don’t have to be so stiff you know,” Tubbo said, catching Ranboo’s eye, “I can feel the nervous energy from here. You’re in good company.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying,” Schlatt said, sighing dramatically and throwing his head back, “No one ever listens to me, Jesus-“

“Was it really that noticeable?” Ranboo murmured, staring down at his lap as his fingers began to tap on his knuckles, a nervous habit. 

“There’s no need to be nervous. I mean, we kind of went through a life or death experience yesterday, from what I remember. Brings us closer.” Tubbo joked, momentarily forgetting that not everyone was as numb to the situation as he was. He remembered that fact a little late, he realized as Ranboo averted his eyes, shoulders sinking.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have joked about that, really-“ Tubbo rushed to correct his mistake.

“No no it’s fine, it’s just- well uh I guess- I’m worried about Niki is all, not your fault.” Ranboo stuttered out, looking back up at Tubbo.

A beat of silence over took the room.

“Well, you two definitely need to loosen up.” Schlatt said, standing suddenly and stretching his arms out. “What do ya say to some good ol’ caffeine?”

“Do you even know where the coffee is?” Tubbo questioned.

“Yeah, I’ve been here before, you know that Tubbo.” He said matter of factly, striding into the kitchen. They heard some shuffling and clattering before the ram hybrid called back, “Want any or not?”

“Sure.” Tubbo said, stifling a yawn.

“No thanks.” Ranboo said, turning back to Tubbo, elongated ears twitching slightly. “Should you be having coffee? Will it affect your wound.”

“If I die I die.” Tubbo said in the most serious tone he could muster.

“Ah. I see.” Ranboo replied.

Another beat of silence. Both boys began to chuckle.

“ _If I die I die_ -“ Ranboo repeated, mirth clear in his voice as he wheezed.

“I didn’t know I could sound so serious-“ Tubbo wheezed, both boys momentarily forgetting the fear of the night.

That is, until the door opened, Philza Minecraft walking in, Technoblade lazily trailing at his side.

Tubbo stood up, looking for a familiar face-

“TUBBO!” Tommy shouted, pushing past a confused Techno and rushing around the couch, hugging his friend quickly but gently, careful of his side. Tubbo relaxed at the familiar shout, knowing it meant Tommy was really okay.

When Ranboo caught sight of Niki and Eret, he went up to her, hands wringing as he asked frantically, “You’re here! Are you guys hurt? I was worried you were because you know, you’re my sister and you’re my friend, and it’s really hard not to worry I guess-“

“We’re fine Ranboo, don’t worry.” Niki said, purposefully keeping her voice calm. As she put her hand on his shoulder.

“Yep, only a few scratches and bruises, but other than that, pretty alright.” Eret said, giving Ranboo a pat on the head, not without reaching up quite a bit. 

Schlatt walked back in the living room, heading the chaos, two cups of coffee in his hand, then relaxed, setting one on the table. He knew Tubbo wouldn’t need it anymore, now energized by the presence of his best friend, but he had already brewed it so, eh, _what do you do?_ Leaning on the wall, he sipped his coffee, looking at Wilbur, who finally seemed relaxed. _Good_.

Philza and Techno stood by, Techno feeling more than a bit uncomfortable. Wilbur stood, surveying the scene but not saying a word, a calm smile playing on his face, leaning over the side of the couch.

_He’s grown up_ , Techno realized, looking at his twin. _Then again, so have I._

- _He’s mad, you left him, you left Tommy, E, Tommy leave, Madbur, E_ -

Techno pushed away the incessant voices, nudging Phil.

“I’m going to my room. Rest up and all that.” He said quietly, hoping only Phil would pick up on it.

Wilbur, however, did, stiffening and gripping the couch somewhat tighter. The musician tilted his head just enough to see his brother, a glare overtaking his face again. He had nearly forgotten the source of his anger. 

Schlatt observed quietly, making a mental note to talk to Wilbur, assuming that he didn’t blow up at anyone at that point. Even if he did though, he did need a break.

Phil smiled, attention fully on Techno as he said, “Alright mate. It has been a long trip. Go rest up.” Techno nodded, shoulders hunched slightly as he walked upstairs and disappeared from sight.

“Right!” Phil turned back to the others, catching their attention. “You all are free to stay here for the night if you’d like—“ Wilbur nearly punched him then and there, _this wasn’t even his house at this point, how dare he, acting like he had control here_ , “—and I encourage you to do so. Best to keep safe, I think. But if you do need to be off, I won’t stop you.”

“I have to get back to my dad.” Tubbo piped up from beside Tommy.

“But- Tubbo you’re hurt, come on man!” Tommy exclaimed, grabbing his upper arm.

“Tommy.” Wilbur said sternly, the first thing he had said upon entering the house. Tommy whipped his head towards his brother, ready to complain, but he was cut off, “You can walk him back to Town. But he does have to go. Mr. Sparkles is probably worried about him.”

Tommy faltered, a million emotions crossing his face before settling for quiet resignation, turning back to Tubbo and saying dejectedly, “When are we going big man?”

“Probably now, before he starts worrying.” Phil said, stepping up again. “Your father is a good friend. I’m sure he’d be worried that you’re gone, Tubbo.”

Tubbo nodded, exchanging a glance with Tommy. After a moment, he and Tommy left the room, headed for the guest room.

“I’m going to head out too.” Schlatt said, wrapping his arm around Wilbur’s shoulder, ignoring his surprise. “Figure I’m going to take that vacation I’ve been thinking about for a few days. Better time than any, aye?”

With that, he steered Wilbur outside, yelling over his shoulder, “Thanks again, gotta talk to this guy for a sec.”

“And what about you three? Are you off as well? We have plenty of room, and spare blankets.” Phil said, turning to Niki, Ranboo and Eret.

“I’ll take them home.” Eret announced, “I have to be off as well, but thank you sir.” 

“Alright, well you’re always free to change your mind, you can always come back.” Philza said, smiling at them. They all said their thank you’s and goodbye’s, and Phil couldn’t help but sigh.

He hoped they would stay out of danger. He supposed it was a hazard of being around the Minecraft family.

_But_ , he thought with a smile, _it was good to be home._

.

.

.

Wilbur hissed out curses as Schlatt practically dragged him out of the house, his friend ignoring him the whole way. They eventually stopped at the edge of the forest, Schlatt taking a long sip of coffee. He let out a sigh, holding the cup out.

“Want any?” He asked, jostling the cup a bit. Wilbur shoved away the cup and Schlatt’s arm, harshly questioning, “What did you take me out here for?”

Schlatt mock-gasped, “The daggers, really Wilbur! You think I can’t tell you’re about to murder that old man?” Wilbur stayed quiet, groaning at Schlatt as his friend raised an eyebrow.

“Fine. Fine! I’m pissed he’s back, are you happy?!” Wilbur exclaimed, rounding on Schlatt again. “There! He’s over there just— and William, William isn’t my name, it hasn’t been for a long time! Tommy isn’t Theseus! We’ve changed, but he’s been treating us exactly the same, as if we haven’t grown, as if we haven’t changed in his absence!”

Schlatt gave a small smirk, and Wilbur realized he had done exactly what he wanted— spilled his guts.

“ _God_ , you are so fucking stupid.” He groaned, sliding down to sit and the base of a nearby tree and he slid his hand over his face. Schlatt joined him, leaning on another tree.

“Here. Take it.” Schlatt said, handing him the coffee. Wilbur eyed it, and then looked back at the hybrid.

“What? You a germaphobe all of a sudden? I’m not diseased, Wil, jeez.” Schlatt joked, pushing it in his hand, “ ‘Sides, you need it more than I do, clearly.”

Wilbur wiped the rim with his sleeve before taking a sip, the bitter liquid sour tasting in his mouth, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Look,” Schlatt said, leaning back on the oak tree, “You can’t ignore this shit, you know that. You need to talk to him, and make him know what he did wrong. While Tommy is out will probably be good, you should probably check up on him while you’re at it, but that’s for later. If you’re gonna blow up, now, while you’re still safe and not hunting down the guys who pulled this shit in the first place, would be a good time to do it.”

Wilbur dropped his eyes down to the dark liquid, growing cold in his hand. A drop of it, having spilled over the edge, ran down the edge and hit the top of his hand, lukewarm against his skin.

Schlatt was right. Whoever those people were, they’d be back, and he doubted it would be on friendly terms. They needed to be ready, especially him and Tommy. _But Philza and Technoblade were the problem in the first place!_ A big part of him wanted them to just leave, and take their trouble with them. But he couldn’t do that, not when him, Tommy, and everyone they knew could be in danger.

“And hey,” Schlatt said, snapping him out of his thoughts, “Doesn’t have to be today. It’s been a pretty long fuckin’ day, to be fair. But you can’t just bottle it up.”

Wilbur tore his eyes from the cup, looking up at Schlatt again. He nodded, whispering out, “Thanks.”

“Yeah, well someone’s gotta give it to you straight right?” Schlatt sighed, standing up and brushing himself off, Wilbur following suit.

“Yeah. I guess.” Wilbur said, bumping his arm with Schlatt.  


The hybrid returned it, saying, “Don’t look so mopey, I’ll be gone for a few days. You can always message me with your communicator or whatever, also remind me to never comfort people again while I’m at it.”

“You weren’t the worst at it if I’m honest.”

“Eh. Still not my forte.”

“Fair, fair.”

A comfortable silence over took them, the morning dew and forest around them providing a calm atmosphere they both needed. Two birds flew overhead, unaware and uncaring of their struggles, of the chaos the night had brung.

Schlatt broke the silence, saying, “Welp. Gotta go, so I’ll see ya Wilbur.” Schlatt squeezed his upper arm, giving him an uncharacteristically reassuring look.

“Talk over communicators later?”

“Yeah, yeah, _jeez_ , just say bye.”

“Alright, alright, bye Schatt.”

“Bye Wilbur.”

A storm was coming. The birds separated, one flying away, one rushing to it head first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bird metaphor goes brrrr
> 
> (Bit of fun Author lore for ya, one of my first successful works on the internet was a work about a birds with a similar metaphor, it was on Writing Amino, pretty pog if you ask me.)


	11. A/N (not deleting because it has good info)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Read if you’d like! (Note: this does discuss toxic relationships)

**(Note: I have decided not to delete this A/N, like I did with the last two, as it has important general life info. Read if you’d like, but it’s not story related so you don’t have to)**

  
Hey all! The next chapter is in the works, I have not forgotten of course. Ya guy/gal/pal is currently snowed in and all I wanna do is hibernate I’ll be honest—

But I have not forgotten about this story, and theres much to be done.

I do wanna take this time though, while I have you, to talk about toxic friendships and relationships (because this has been a problem in my life I’ve recently solved)

I know that I don’t have a big platform or voice on here, but I would like to say if:

-You actively don’t wanna hang out with someone 

-Someone drains you and makes you sad/angry/upset

-You find yourself thinking your a bad person or your villainizing yourself or your actions because of someone

-Someone talks to you in a way that consistently makes you feel bad

-You feel like you are putting the effort but they are not

...the friendship/relationship is toxic. Period. No matter how long you’ve known someone, no matter if you feel the need to “fix” them. They aren’t your problem and you don’t owe them a damn thing.

And it feels so much better to be with people who actually make you happy. People you don’t second guess whether they care about you.

I just wanted to say that, I won’t go into detail about my struggles with this, it’s resolved, I’ve cut the person off. But I did wanna spread the message so that if you feel like this, know it’s real, and you are not crazy or bad for feeling this way.

Anyhoo, the point is: I’m snowed in, cut off toxic people in your life, live your best life cause your a queen/king/monarch, and updates will be soon 

Byyyeeee


	12. Shattering (The Storm Begins)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil’s gonna get it.
> 
> [Get ready folks, it’s all downhill from here :)]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder if y’all will pick up any hidden parallels, because I might’ve actually put some intentionally in here 
> 
> I also know what I’m doing plot-wise now, which is pretty neat. Guess planning this shit out actually helps sometimes.

Tubbo grabbed his communicator from the cabinet, Tommy casually leaning on the door frame. He couldn’t help but wince at the crack on the screen, probably damaged while they were running from their attackers. He traced his finger over the it, eyebrows furrowed, drawing the attention of his friend.

“Does it still work?” Tommy asked, looking over his shoulder at the device. Tubbo turned on the power, the screen coming up as it normally would. Tubbo sighed in relief, “Yeah, it works.”

He couldn’t help but stare at the missed messages.

CaptainSparkles

Tubbo? 3:15 am

CaptainSparkles

Theres a fire going on. Are you safe? 3:16 am

CaptainSparkles 

We’re going out to find you. If you’re there, please say so. 4:01 am

CaptainSparkles 

Tubbo, I really need you to answer me. 4:35 am

CaptainSparkles 

Tubbo? 4:50

“I really have to go home...” Tubbo muttered, ignoring Tommy’s concerned look as he quickly typed out:

Tubbo_

Im safe. At Tommy’s. Will be hmoe soon. 6:13 am

Pocketing his communicator, Tubbo turned back to Tommy, saying quietly, “I’ve got everything, I think.”

“Okay.” Tommy muttered, furrowing his eyebrows.

.

.

.

Tommy was the first to begin snickering, Tubbo quickly following suit.

“Why are we laughing? This is weird man!” Tommy exclaimed, doubling over.

“Maybe it’s the shock-“ Tubbo replied, leaning on his friends shoulder as he laughed.

Tubbo missed it. It hadn’t even been that long since everything got serious, and everything went wrong, but just laughing with Tommy... it was nice.

“Ok ok, let’s get you home big man.” Tommy said, squaring his shoulders and proclaiming, “I, Tommy Innit Minecraft, will get you home safely!”

“Eh... I’ll take my chances with the mobs.” Tubbo said sarcastically, walking out of the room as Tommy processed his response.

“Wha- HEY!” Tommy said, running after Tubbo, who laughed as they both raced out of the house, dodging Wilbur on their way out the door, unaware of the stormy look on his face.

——————

Wilbur set down the coffee cup, watching the duo go. As he looked out the window, they disappeared on the path to the town, and he found himself smiling slightly.

Despite it all, everything that happened, they found some joy in it. _It’s a gift_ , he supposes, _to be able to find happiness even in dark situations._  


_It seemed so easy when they did it_ , he noted with a twinge of envy.  
  


Sighing, the musician turned away from the window, looking at the living room, pondering. Phil had gone somewhere or other, and for the first time in the past few hours, it was completely quiet.

Wilbur liked the quiet. He was generally a pretty quiet kid, especially when he was younger. Though he was seen as charismatic, he preferred the soft strumming of a guitar to the crowds of people or the joys of conversation. When he was younger, ~~when Phil was still around and when Tommy could still try to get his fathers attention~~ , Wilbur often found himself by the lake.

The lake was big, a beautiful blue. Wilbur would always seek to keep it that way, dragging out pollution or random trash people would throw in it. He took care of it, and as far as he knew, he was really the only one that did. He’d sit on the shore for hours, watching the water flow as he practiced guitar.

When he and Tommy were left behind, he went there less. He didn’t really have a choice, Tommy was all of 8, and he was (and still is) a trouble maker at heart. But, every now and again, when Tommy slept soundly in his bed, and he found his thoughts growing sad or bitter, Wilbur went to the lake and sat there, playing guitar sometimes, but mostly just sitting, watching.

He never abandoned it. He always came back.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by footsteps on the stairs, coming down. Phil walked into the living room, stretching his wings, the midnight feathers fluffing up before settling back down. “Hey William.” He said, casually. 

Wilbur stiffened slightly, and chose not to reply. Phil didn’t seem to notice, continuing to talk, “I checked on Techno. He’s asleep, for now. I’m assuming Theseus took his friend back home?”

Theseus. _God_ , Wilbur hated that name. He nodded tensely.

Phil seemed to notice that, giving him an almost concerned look— _concerned, yeah right, he left them ages ago, why the hell is he concerned_ —before smiling, saying, “Hey, go sit down, okay? It’s been a long night, and you’ve been on your feet for all of it. I can make some tea, if you’d like?”

“No thank you.” Wilbur said, still standing. He couldn’t help but be a little bit defiant and petty.

Phil shrugged, saying, “Suit yourself. I’ll make some for myself.” With that, he disappeared in the kitchen.

Wilbur sighed, starting to walk over to the stairs to his room, before remembering the cup. He turned back, staring at the dirty dish, sitting on the windowsill.

He could put it up later. But it being there would bother him, even if he left the room. The mental debate raged on for a second before he resigned, grabbing the cup and heading to the kitchen, where Phil was leaning over the sink.

“William,—“ Wilbur flinched, “—the sink is clogged with Zombie blood.” Phil said, sighing in disappointment.

“...and?” Wilbur replied, confusion seeping in his voice.

Phil let out another sigh, standing up completely and turning to him. “Didn’t I teach you to clean it off outdoors? In a river or something?” He said, joking seeping in his voice.

It rubbed Wilbur the wrong way.

“Well, to be fair, you weren’t around enough to teach us much of anything.” Wilbur bit back passive aggressively.

Phil’s face fell, and a moment of silence overtook them. When it became clear Phil wasn’t going to say anything, Wilbur moved to put the mug in the sink, suddenly wanting to be anywhere but there. 

“William—“ Phil said quietly.

Wilbur lost it.

“That’s not my name.” He whispered, the mug tight in his grasp.

“What?”

“ _That’s not my NAME_!” He shouted, whipping around, the mug shattering to the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thinking of a name change for this story. Not sure on it yet, but I’m thinking *speedruns thoughts*
> 
> Also yes I gave you a cliffhanger because I am an evil, evil writer >:)


	13. Explaining (You Deserved To Know Long Ago)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur just wants to know what’s going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter? In this economy?
> 
> Never.

Phil jumped back, wings flaring at the sudden outburst as the shards of glass fell to the floor and pierced Wilbur’s skin.

“William—“ Wilbur seethed, spitting out the name with extra malice, “—is dead and gone, and so is Theseus. They died when you left them! My name is Wilbur, my brothers name is Tommy, and that’s it! That’s our sad, broken little family.” His boots crushed the remains of the broken mug, the shards breaking into tinnier pieces.

“And then we’re attacked, and for what?! What was so damn important that you had to leave us and piss off some far off group of people and now, everything I built, everyone I love and learned to love without you, is at risk!” Wilbur spat, pushing against Phil’s chest. The hybrid stumbled back but stayed up right, pain and guilt clear in his blue-grey eyes.

“Willia... Wil, if you’d just let me explain—“ Phil started, only to be cut off.

“Oh you’ll explain, you’ll fucking explain, but only AFTER I’ve said what I need to. You can’t ignore me for this long and expect to be welcomed with open arms. Hell, the only reason me and Tommy lived was because the Town took pity on us! They looked out for us, they were more of a family then you ever managed to be, while you were off galavanting with Techno, who’s more of a stranger to me than a twin brother!” Wilbur shouted, letting years upon years of pain out. The blood from the shards in his palm bled through the spaces between his fingers as he balled his fists.

“I taught Tommy everything. I raised him, at 11 years old I managed to be more of a father then you were to him. That’s not fucking normal! So please, enlighten me as I ask again, what was so damn important that you had to leave for YEARS?!” Wilbur ended his rant with a shout, arms outstretched outward in a questioning manner. 

A silence— there seemed to be a lot of those these days— overtook them. Phil did not meet Wilbur’s eyes. Wilbur’s arms lowered, his hand coming to pinch the bridge of his nose. Blood flowed thickly from the shards stuck in his other hand.

“Wilbur...” Phil said the name, almost as if testing it on his tongue. Wilbur slid one of his fingers on his face slightly to the side, exposing one of his brown eyes.

Phil squared his shoulders, making eye contact with Wilbur. “If you’ll let me explain while I help with your wound, it’ll be easier. You’re going to want to sit down for this one, mate.” He said, pulling out some spare bandages and a healing potion vial from his pocket.

For half a second, Wilbur wanted to refuse. The anger was still there, ever present and unresolved but... damnit he was tired. Tired of going on without an explanation, without closure. He needed answers, for him and for everyone who might’ve gotten hurt and did get hurt. He needed to concede, if not for a bit longer, before deciding whether to forgive, or stay bitter.

With that in mind, he nodded. Phil perked up at the movement, saying, “I’ll clean this up, ok? Just... go sit down.” With that, he was off, setting the healing items on the table and heading over to the paper towels, ready to clean up the broken mug.

Wilbur made his way to the couch, sitting down heavily. He wasn’t used to that kind of an outburst, so he was bone tired, but he forced his eyes open. He’d been patient long enough for an explanation.

He hadn’t realized time had passed until Phil walked into the living room, healing items back in his hand. “Hold your hand out, ok?” He said, unwrapping some of the bandages and holding a wet towel at the ready.

“Where were you? Both of you.” Wilbur cut to the chase, holding out his bloody hand. He barely noticed the sting as Phil sighed, gently cleaning it.

“It’s a bit more complicated than where we were lad. We were a lot of places.” He said, the towel soaking up some of the blood. “We were in a lot of worlds.”

“And what were you two doing there?” Wilbur pushed, leaning forward and putting his elbows on his knees as Phil took out small bits ingrained in his hand. He fought a wince as the last shard came out, Phil continuing to clean the wound.

“... what do you know about gods, Wil?” Phil asked, his hand stilling as he waited for him to respond.

“What does that have to do with-“

“We’re getting there. What do you know about them?”

“... They were here since the beginning. Some even before that, if there was a before. Stampy, DanTDM, SkyDoesMinecraft, there are plenty out there. Some are gone, in some far off slumber somewhere, others still maintain some power. There are newer gods out there too. And then, there are things bigger than even the old gods, like Prime and Creation.” Wilbur listed off what he knew skeptically. He wasn’t very big on thoughts of Gods, he was mortal anyways. Why worship something that pays you no mind?

“Well, there is something... god like, for lack of a better word.” Phil said, hesitating to speak one last time as he uncorked the healing potion. “Have you heard of the Oblivion?”

“That old concept? ‘To balance out creation and memory, one must forget and destroy,’ and all that? What about it?” Wilbur asked eyebrows furrowed.

“It’s very real, I assure you. It’s been here since the beginning, but creation has found its way...” Phil let the health potion drip onto Wilbur’s hands, the indents of shards slowly seeping shut. He set aside the bandages, walking to the ender chest sitting at the door. Wilbur watched as he looked out the window and around carefully as he opened it, reaching in and pulling out something.

When he turned, he held in in his hand, and Wilbur couldn’t help but stare.

It was like a shard of the night, darker than anything natural. Purple particles suspended around it, spinning in circles as they glowed. The round object emitted an aura of power, even though it was about as small as the palm of Phil’s hand. “A dragon egg,” Wilbur breathed, staring at it in wonder.

“Yes, a dragon egg. And the only thing keeping our world safe.” Phil said, putting it back in the chest quickly, heaving a sigh of relief at the chest closing.

“What do you mean, keeping us safe?” Wilbur said, immediately confused again. How could something so small, albeit powerful in its own right, protect an entire world?

“Ender dragons don’t just exist without purpose. They act as a magical boundary against the Oblivion. Without them, the Oblivion would swallow everything—mortals, demigods, gods, everyone—whole.” Phil said, walking back to the table, picking up the bandages again.

“So what does this have to do with you leaving?” Wilbur asked, as soft bandages were wrapped on the sensitive, healing skin.

“The Oblivion has taken worlds, taken lives. But many believe that it’s just a myth, a concept. Among those many are the men who attacked you and the others.” Phil finished wrapping the wound, taking out some medical tape and taping it down to hold.

“But it is a myth. Worlds are abandoned, sure, but you can always go back.” Wilbur said, drawing his hand back and running a hand over the cloth.

“Have you ever gone to another world?” Phil asked, putting away the bandages and beginning to clean up.

“No. Apparently you have to respawn at least once before you can.”

“And neither you or Theseus—Tommy, sorry—have respawned?” Phil asked, leaning back on the other couch, hands interlocking tightly.

“No, never. It’s painful, why would we want to?” Wilbur scoffed, taking a quick glance at his communicator to see if Tommy had said anything. He’d been out for a while, but he and Tubbo were okay. Surely everything was alright.

“I see... well those men are called the Dream team. They’re demigods, and so are me and Techno.” Phil said casually, as if it was the most everyday thing to ever say.

“I’m sorry you’re— what?” Wilbur questioned, staring at Phil.

“I’m not immortal, if that’s what you’re asking. Neither is Techno, I think... point is, we’re both in the gods favor. But back to the matter at hand, the Dream Team are also demigods, meaning they’re not lacking in strength. And they seem to think that the Oblivion is a myth, because they go from world to world killing dragons and destroying the eggs. When they leave those worlds... that’s when it hit.” Phil suddenly looked guilty, fidgeting with his fingers.

“That’s where you’ve been then? Trying to stop them from... all this?” Wilbur muttered, worry and the slightest hint of anger plaguing him. 

“You couldn’t write in that entire time? It’s been years. You left us alone, and you can’t change that.” Wilbur voiced his frustration, leveling his eyes with Phil. He would not let go of this easily, despite the circumstances. Did he believe Phil? Yes. Did he like it? No.

“I didn’t want you involved. We thought it wouldn’t take long to dissuade them. It shouldn’t have taken this long. I didn’t want to put you all in needless danger.” Phil said, eyes lowering.

“And what about Techno? You seemed to have no problem bringing him.” Wilbur shot back, still ready to argue at moments notice.

“He didn’t want me to come either.” A monotone voice cut through the tense air, causing Wilbur to look over his shoulder at his twin.

“I did anyway. He kept trying to send me back to you all. I didn’t listen. Our home was and still is at stake, I can’t sit down and wait while that happens.” Techno stood at the top of the stairs, elongated ears twitching slightly. He walked and sat on the couch parallel to where Phil was sitting.

“What do you mean our home is at stake? What are you two not telling us?” Tommy said suddenly, having slipped in the house uncharacteristically quietly.

“How long were you two listening?” Wilbur asked as his younger brother flopped next to him, leaning his elbows on his knees.

“The whole time.” They both answered at the same time, only for Tommy to say, “anyways that’s not the point. Is our world in trouble?”

Phil seemed hesitant to answer, exchanging a glance with Technoblade. After a moments hesitation, the hybrid leaned forward, locking eyes with Wilbur.

“The dragon of this world was defeated 24 hours ago.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh.
> 
> Btw, y’all like the new name? I thought it was good, I appreciate the name suggestions!!


End file.
